Welcoming 2 New Members In The Family: Ring Tailed Lemurs

Posted by admin on February 24th, 2013

Earlier this month at Khao Kheow Open Zoo we welcomed 2 new members in our family. In the Lemur Land two healthy female babies of Ring Tailed Lemurs were born. Lemurs are typically the natives of Madagascar. The word lemur is derived from the roman word ‘lemures’ which means ghosts or spirits. It is largely researched that there are five major families of lemur with 30 sub species, of which many are now extinct. The Ring Tailed Lemurs are a beautiful species recognized for their long tail with black and white rings. Lemurs are one the rare creature that are very much vocal and have different voices for different situations like group cohesion or an alarm call. They are also known to be smart enough to be able to organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations and have an understanding for tools based on their function.

Generally a lemur troop could consist of 6 to 25 members as per the food availability. Although they are largely terrestrial animals, they spent a major time on the trees and thus are also considered arboreal. The lemurs are majorly vegetarian, eating a variety of plants, fruits and flowers, especially tamarinds; although in the dry season they can eat small insects, spiders and grasshoppers, thus making them omnivores.

In the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, we are home to 5 male and 6 female Ring Tailed Lemurs. The new additions were introduced to the public just last week. The zoo also plans to conduct a feeding activity, twice a day. This will allow the public to get close to the fun and cuddly creatures especially the babies. So don’t forget to come with your family to visit the lemur family at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.